List of English words with disputed usage information
This article is about English words whose valid usage is in dispute. For English words that are misused, see List of commonly misused English words.
Some English words are often used in ways that are contentious among writers on usage and prescriptive commentators. The contentious usages are especially common in spoken English, and academic linguists point out that they are accepted by many listeners. While in some circles the usages below may make the speaker sound uneducated or illiterate, in other circles the more standard or more traditional usage may make the speaker sound stilted or pretentious.
For a list of disputes more complicated than the usage of a single word or phrase, see English usage controversies.
Abbreviations of dictionaries cited
Abbrev.
Dictionary
Further details
AHD4
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
4th Edition
AHD5
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
5th Edition, 2013, online
CHAMBERS
Chambers 21st Century Dictionary
2006
COD11
Concise Oxford English Dictionary
11th Edition
COED
Compact Oxford English Dictionary
Lexico
ENCARTA
Encarta World English Dictionary
online
FOWLER
The New Fowler's Modern English Usage
Revised 3rd Edition (1998)
MAU
Garner's Modern American Usage
3rd Edition (2009)
M-W
Merriam-Webster
online
OED
Oxford English Dictionary
online
RH
Random House Unabridged Dictionary
2006; on Dictionary.com
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